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The High Treason Club: The Boeremag on Trial
On the night of 30 October 2002, eight bomb blasts tore through Soweto, leaving one woman dead and damaging vital infrastructure. The bombs were the work of a far-right white Afrikaner separatist group called the Boeremag, whose stated aim was to overthrow the ruling ANC government, rid the country of black people and reinstate a new Boer-administered republic. For months before the bombings, police had been investigating the terror group and had made several arrests. In December, after an intense cross-country manhunt, the perpetrators of the bombings were finally caught. All in all, 23 men were arrested and charged with high treason after the police seized explosives, homemade pipe bombs, weapons and ammunition in arms caches hidden all over the country.
426 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 1, 2025
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About the author
Karin Mitchell
3 books3 followersKarin Mitchell began her journalism career in various respected national radio and television newsrooms. The Boeremag trial was her first big assignment, and since then she has covered the Marikana Massacre, the Oscar Pistorius trial and other significant political events. Driven to tell untold stories, Karin left journalism in 2016 to pursue a full-time writing career.
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May 12, 2025#TheHighTreasonClub – Karin Mitchell
#PenguinRandomHouseSA
The link between a man who died in 1926 and one of the longest and most expensive trials in South African history is a conundrum until the infamous “Night of the long knives” is added as additional clue. The man was Nicolaas Pieter Johannes Janse van Rensburg, better known as Siener, and the trial was the Boeremag trial that occupied the legal landscape from 19 May 2003 to 29 October 2013.
23 men stood accused of various counts including treason, terrorism, and the illegal possession of firearms, ammunition and explosives. Their planned D-Day would have culminated with the detonation of five 300kg bombs at various taxi ranks in November 2002 but also included the bombing of the hangar housing the SAPS Airwing on 23 November and the CH Mitchell suspension bridge on 26 November, an attempt on the life of Nelson Mandela on 11 October, and several bomb blasts in Soweto on 30 October of the same year. Although some plans were not successfully executed, those that did extensively damaged vital infrastructure and killed Claudia Makone in her bed, right next to her children.
The accused were members of the so-called Boeremag, a far-right Afrikaner separatist group whose beliefs and actions were influenced by the visions ascribed to Siener. Their intention was to force the hand of the democratically elected government by triggering the “Night of the long knives”, causing sufficient disruption and instability to replace the former with a Boer-administered republic: “…they hoped to goad the enemy into action by bombing various targets. By forcing the black government to adopt a violent response, the group hoped to create enough chaos to retaliate. It would appear as if they were merely reacting in self-defence, when they were actually igniting a coup.” (75)
The author, a journalist at the time, was assigned to cover the trial on 23 May 2011, a legal marathon that had by then seen the accused indicted on 19 March 2003. The first day of trial was to be on 19 May 2003, but the first witness, the police informant Johannes Coenraad (JC) Smit only took the stand on 29 October 2003 – and remained there for nine months. Judgement started on 23 July 2012 and concluded on 20 August. By that time the accused had appeared 1225 times and were down to 21 of the original 23; one had passed away in 2007, and one had pled guilty in terms of a plea-bargaining arrangement.
But that was not yet the end. On 6 February 2013 Judge Eben Jordaan handed down judgement in an evidentiary twist forming the basis of a section 317 (Act 51/1977) application fuelled by allegations made by former SAPS member, Deon Loots, and revealed by Jacques Pauw, that a third force within Crime Intelligence had orchestrated the coup, but Judge Jordaan held: “Loots was not a reliable witness” and had “wasted the court’s valuable time.” (290) Sentencing on 29 October 2013 concluded the court proceedings.
This book centres around this concise summary of events but reveals the tolls to be paid behind the scenes during the more than a decade by all those connected to the gruelling trial. There were death threats, hitlists, protective custody, safe houses, crumbling marriages,escapes, attempted escapes, undercover operations, search warrants, declining health, and personal sacrifices. The text comprises of much more than the court records and summaries of the evidence and extends to interviews between the author and the principal investigator, Colonel (Ret.) Tollie Vreugdenberg, one of the accused, Michael Teshart (Mike) du Toit, the state prosecutor, Adv Paul Fick, and several other role players.
The inclusion of the aftermath of the trail, the position of the accused at the time of publication and the legal amendments that had since taken place, ensures a complete and well-balanced collection and recollection of this tragic decade, honouring those who laboured and sacrificed tirelessly to prevent a major political and social catastrophe.
Two notes by the author deserve specific mentioning: “Throughout the writing process, I was acutely cognisant that there will be criticism and differing views of the story that I have written, but what I have written is based on fact and is in line with the findings of the South African judiciary.” (3) and “I realized had been wrong to judge them (the accused) as a collective. Although all were members of the…Boeremag, the men…did not fit a one-size-fits-all category…each of them had their own personal reasons for getting involved…” (317)
And that is the essence of this book.
#Uitdieperdsebek
🐎
#PenguinRandomHouseSA
The link between a man who died in 1926 and one of the longest and most expensive trials in South African history is a conundrum until the infamous “Night of the long knives” is added as additional clue. The man was Nicolaas Pieter Johannes Janse van Rensburg, better known as Siener, and the trial was the Boeremag trial that occupied the legal landscape from 19 May 2003 to 29 October 2013.
23 men stood accused of various counts including treason, terrorism, and the illegal possession of firearms, ammunition and explosives. Their planned D-Day would have culminated with the detonation of five 300kg bombs at various taxi ranks in November 2002 but also included the bombing of the hangar housing the SAPS Airwing on 23 November and the CH Mitchell suspension bridge on 26 November, an attempt on the life of Nelson Mandela on 11 October, and several bomb blasts in Soweto on 30 October of the same year. Although some plans were not successfully executed, those that did extensively damaged vital infrastructure and killed Claudia Makone in her bed, right next to her children.
The accused were members of the so-called Boeremag, a far-right Afrikaner separatist group whose beliefs and actions were influenced by the visions ascribed to Siener. Their intention was to force the hand of the democratically elected government by triggering the “Night of the long knives”, causing sufficient disruption and instability to replace the former with a Boer-administered republic: “…they hoped to goad the enemy into action by bombing various targets. By forcing the black government to adopt a violent response, the group hoped to create enough chaos to retaliate. It would appear as if they were merely reacting in self-defence, when they were actually igniting a coup.” (75)
The author, a journalist at the time, was assigned to cover the trial on 23 May 2011, a legal marathon that had by then seen the accused indicted on 19 March 2003. The first day of trial was to be on 19 May 2003, but the first witness, the police informant Johannes Coenraad (JC) Smit only took the stand on 29 October 2003 – and remained there for nine months. Judgement started on 23 July 2012 and concluded on 20 August. By that time the accused had appeared 1225 times and were down to 21 of the original 23; one had passed away in 2007, and one had pled guilty in terms of a plea-bargaining arrangement.
But that was not yet the end. On 6 February 2013 Judge Eben Jordaan handed down judgement in an evidentiary twist forming the basis of a section 317 (Act 51/1977) application fuelled by allegations made by former SAPS member, Deon Loots, and revealed by Jacques Pauw, that a third force within Crime Intelligence had orchestrated the coup, but Judge Jordaan held: “Loots was not a reliable witness” and had “wasted the court’s valuable time.” (290) Sentencing on 29 October 2013 concluded the court proceedings.
This book centres around this concise summary of events but reveals the tolls to be paid behind the scenes during the more than a decade by all those connected to the gruelling trial. There were death threats, hitlists, protective custody, safe houses, crumbling marriages,escapes, attempted escapes, undercover operations, search warrants, declining health, and personal sacrifices. The text comprises of much more than the court records and summaries of the evidence and extends to interviews between the author and the principal investigator, Colonel (Ret.) Tollie Vreugdenberg, one of the accused, Michael Teshart (Mike) du Toit, the state prosecutor, Adv Paul Fick, and several other role players.
The inclusion of the aftermath of the trail, the position of the accused at the time of publication and the legal amendments that had since taken place, ensures a complete and well-balanced collection and recollection of this tragic decade, honouring those who laboured and sacrificed tirelessly to prevent a major political and social catastrophe.
Two notes by the author deserve specific mentioning: “Throughout the writing process, I was acutely cognisant that there will be criticism and differing views of the story that I have written, but what I have written is based on fact and is in line with the findings of the South African judiciary.” (3) and “I realized had been wrong to judge them (the accused) as a collective. Although all were members of the…Boeremag, the men…did not fit a one-size-fits-all category…each of them had their own personal reasons for getting involved…” (317)
And that is the essence of this book.
#Uitdieperdsebek
🐎
January 16, 2026
The High Treason Club: The Boeremag on Trial is an extensively well researched and compelling examination of one of South Africa’s most notorious legal cases. Spanning 3,817 days, involving more than 60,000 pages of court transcripts, 23 accused, and 212 witnesses, the trial stands as one of the longest and most complex in the country’s history.
Presented expertly from Mitchell’s first hand perspective as a courtroom journalist, the book explores the fascinating rise and fall of the Boeremag, the extremist group that sought to destroy South Africa’s new democratic order, as well as those who worked tirelessly to bring its members to justice.
Her writing style frequently reminded me of David Grann (author of Killers of the Flower Moon) in that her dedication to research is evident on every page, yet the book never feels academic or inaccessible. Instead, it adopts the pacing and narrative structure of a novel, allowing the reader to absorb a complex series of events, trial proceedings, and conspiracies without losing sight of the human impact.
One of the book’s greatest strengths lies in its distinctly human exploration of such a complex case. Mitchell gives equal weight to the human cost on all sides, highlighting not only the motivations and inner workings of the accused, but also the selfless dedication of the prosecution and investigative teams, and the toll the trial took on them and their families.
Through interviews with both the accused and those tasked with prosecuting them, Mitchell offers rare insight into the minds of the organisations architects and the individuals determined to stop them. Throughout, she conducts her reporting with humility, integrity, and honesty, guided, as she writes, by her belief that “humanity serves as my compass.”
There are, however, a few practical stylistic choices that gave me pause. As the old saying goes "you should never judge a book by it cover” however, the book’s cover bearing the Boeremag symbol, closely resembling a swastika, left me feeling as if people are judging me by the cover of the book when reading in public. Additionally, whether intentional or not, the absence of chapter titles makes navigating the text more difficult when revisiting key sections.
That said, The High Treason Club firmly establishes itself among my all time favourite reads. Mitchell’s brief reflections on her coverage of the Marikana Massacre leaves me hoping that there is still another powerful story waiting to be told by her.
Presented expertly from Mitchell’s first hand perspective as a courtroom journalist, the book explores the fascinating rise and fall of the Boeremag, the extremist group that sought to destroy South Africa’s new democratic order, as well as those who worked tirelessly to bring its members to justice.
Her writing style frequently reminded me of David Grann (author of Killers of the Flower Moon) in that her dedication to research is evident on every page, yet the book never feels academic or inaccessible. Instead, it adopts the pacing and narrative structure of a novel, allowing the reader to absorb a complex series of events, trial proceedings, and conspiracies without losing sight of the human impact.
One of the book’s greatest strengths lies in its distinctly human exploration of such a complex case. Mitchell gives equal weight to the human cost on all sides, highlighting not only the motivations and inner workings of the accused, but also the selfless dedication of the prosecution and investigative teams, and the toll the trial took on them and their families.
Through interviews with both the accused and those tasked with prosecuting them, Mitchell offers rare insight into the minds of the organisations architects and the individuals determined to stop them. Throughout, she conducts her reporting with humility, integrity, and honesty, guided, as she writes, by her belief that “humanity serves as my compass.”
There are, however, a few practical stylistic choices that gave me pause. As the old saying goes "you should never judge a book by it cover” however, the book’s cover bearing the Boeremag symbol, closely resembling a swastika, left me feeling as if people are judging me by the cover of the book when reading in public. Additionally, whether intentional or not, the absence of chapter titles makes navigating the text more difficult when revisiting key sections.
That said, The High Treason Club firmly establishes itself among my all time favourite reads. Mitchell’s brief reflections on her coverage of the Marikana Massacre leaves me hoping that there is still another powerful story waiting to be told by her.
June 20, 2025
The book makes this lengthy trial accessible while being educational. I really appreciated the deep sense of humanity. The writer's style is captivating and easy to read.
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